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- Path: mail2news.demon.co.uk!djwhome.demon.co.uk
- From: David Woolley <david@djwhome.demon.co.uk>
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.networking,demon.ip.support
- Subject: Re: Advantages of POP3 over SMTP Mail
- Date: Sun, 14 Apr 1996 15:50:36 GMT
- Organization: Demon Subscriber at Home
- Sender: news <news@djwhome.demon.co.uk>
- Message-ID: <Dpv00H.2Hw@djwhome.demon.co.uk>
- References: <364.6677T1342T1366@kncowans.demon.co.uk>
- X-NNTP-Posting-Host: djwhome.demon.co.uk
- X-Mail2News-Path: djwhome.demon.co.uk
-
- In article <364.6677T1342T1366@kncowans.demon.co.uk>,
- K.N.Cowans <kevin@kncowans.demon.co.uk> wrote:
- >Hello all
- >
- >What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a POP3 mail feed instead of
- >SMTP.
-
- There isn't really such a thing as a POP3 feed. POP3 is for a client to read
- a single mailbox (although there are a few non-standard POP3 services around
- these days). SMTP and UUCP are feeding protocols, they can deliver to multiple
- mailboxes in multiple domains and fully preserve envelope information.
-
- The main advantages of POP3 are:
-
- - there is Windows and Mac software which is user friendly for accessing
- single POP3 mailboxes.
- - transfer is controlled by the dial up site, so you don't have to rely
- on hacks in the ISP to send when you connect, and don't have to be ready
- immediately.
-
- The main advantages of SMTP are:
-
- - it is a full feed system allowing multiple domains and mailboxes.
- - it is real time.
- - it fully supports internet style addressing in headers and envelopes.
- - it is very good at ensuring that delivery failures are reported.
-
- The main advantages of UUCP are:
-
- - it is optimised for dial up use.
- - it is a full feed system.
- - modern implementations can handle most envelope address styles.
- - both upload and download are done in a fast batch mode.
-
- The main disadvantages of POP3 are:
-
- - it destroys envelope information.
- - it only supports a single mailbox (there are fudged solutions to this).
-
- The main disadvantages of SMTP are:
-
- - it is controlled by the sending side.
- - it is not designed to minimise connection time, but rather to do
- real time error reporting.
-
- The main disadvantages of UUCP are:
-
- - the actual mail handling part is not well standardised.
- - it is unfashionable, so those ISPs going after the fashion market don't
- support it.
- - the best mode, batched SMTP, is not commonly supported.
- - support for infrastructure failure reporting can be patchy.
-
-
- Note that UUCP can be run over TCP, so you can still Web browse during the
- transfer.
-
- --
- David Woolley, London, England david@djwhome.demon.co.uk
-